


Amor Omnia Vincit

by Hiddenflowerdesi



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aqua is a loving/dotting aunt, Canon Compliant, Canon compliant... Ish, Family, Takes place 3-4 years after KH3?, Terra sucks at babies but that's not gunna stop him from being the best Uncle he can be, Thie situation is odd but they're damned if that's gonna stop them, Ven is in charge of baby girl, Wayfinder trio acting like the siblings they really are, watch actual canon prove all of my theories wrong when KH3 comes out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 20:17:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14220963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiddenflowerdesi/pseuds/Hiddenflowerdesi
Summary: He still couldn't believe someone would do such a thing. None of them could, but that didn't change the fact that someone had, and they were going to have to make some serious adjustments to, well, adjust.In which someone leaves a baby on Terra, Aqua and Ven's literal doorstep. Canon-compliant...ish





	1. Love Conquers All

**Author's Note:**

> All chapters to this are uplaoded to fanfiction.net first, so please be patient with me.  
> Why I'm writing this story? The idea came to me and wouldn't go away, so here we are :P  
> Please keep your arms and legs inside of the ride at all times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amor Omnia Vincit: Love Conquers All

_I_

"It's a baby," Terra muttered as he paced back and forth through the den, running his fingers through his hair in agitation.

"I can see that," Ventus replied as he bounced lightly to calm said infant. She was fussy, most likely due to hunger, and Aqua had yet to return with some formula. He began to hum a lullaby that he miraculously managed to recall from before he'd been stripped of most of memories.

"I know, I know, but seriously! Who the hell abandons a baby on a doorstep?!" He stopped his pacing just long enough to check out the window for Aqua, like he'd been doing for the past hour. "I didn't think people actually did stuff like that in real life. Only movies and books."

" _I_  was left on the the doorstep," Ventus chimed, pausing his bouncing for all of four seconds before hastily continuing as his tiny companion began to whimper pitifully.

"First off, you were eleven. Second, Xehanort walked you in and told Master Eraqus you were staying with us  _before_  dumping you here." He frowned. "We're too young for this."

" _Technically_  we're in our thirties," Ventus argued, monotone.

"And we don't look a day of it," Terra argued back. "We need an adult. An adulter adult. Stop looking at me like that, Ven."

Ventus blinked slowly at his brother. He knew where he was coming from, but it's not like they had a much of a choice in the matter. The only people they, well,  _he_ , could trust with the baby were on different worlds and, to be blunt, taking an infant through the Lanes Between seemed like an overall bad idea. On top of that he was already forming an attachment to the tiny person clutching at his shirt. "You think the master was prepared to take care of us?" He wondered out loud.

"What?" Terra thought about it for a moment. He'd only been taken in under Eraqus's care a few months after Aqua and he'd be lying if he said the man didn't look at least a tad bit overwhelmed, even more so once Ven had recovered from his "accident" and was just as energised as he and Aqua. "Not really. No... "

The white mage didn't have to say a word more, Terra could already see the point he was making. No one's ever truly prepared to take care of children, not even those who'd planned the process.

"I have to agree with Ven," Aqua said as she dumped several bags in the middle of the floor. It looked like she'd gone all out with the baby shopping, even going as far to buy some sleepers and a few outfits.

"When did you get back?" Terra asked, slightly startled. He hadn't heard her come in.

"Been here for a few minutes, listening in," She replied as she dug out a pack of bottles and a can of formula. "I'll go ahead and fix her something to eat. There's a bag of diapers if she needs to be changed," Aqua informed them as she headed towards to kitchen. She said something else, but it was drowned out but the sound of the running tap. When she returned with a warm bottle in hand, Ventus had just finished changing their newest addition, Terra staring at him in awe.

"How the hell are you so good at this? She cried when I tried messing with her." He said, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Maybe he had siblings before he came here?" Aqua suggested as she took the baby and started to feed her. She sucked down the milk hungryly, kicking her chubby legs in enthusiasm.

Ventus thought about it for moment. He still had next to no recollection of his life pre-Xehanort, but he  _might_  have had younger siblings that he helped take care of. It was that or he just had a natural knack for babies, which maybe he did. It was then a sudden thought hit the young, if only in appearance, blond.

"Uh, we have two problems."

Aqua glanced up at him as she adjusted to infant to burp her. "Like what?" She asked slowly,

"She doesn't have a name, for starters. We can't just keep calling her Baby." He glanced at Terra. "Or  _Muffin_. Also, where is she gonna sleep?"

Aqua glanced around the room as she hummed thoughtfully. He already had a feeling of what she was going to say. "Well, seeing as how you currently have the biggest bed and she likes you best…" Yep. He knew it.

"Wishing you would've let me or Aqua get the big bed now, huh?" Terra half taunted, hands on hips.

Ventus rolled his eyes. "She wouldn't be sleeping with you anyhow. You're too big and sleep too heavy. You'd roll over and squish her before the night was up." Sometimes he swore the older man could sleep through an earthquake, which he  _has_ , by the way. It was a fairly amusing ordeal, seeing Terra's reaction upon waking up and finding his room, and the rest of the castle, a complete and utter mess. The look their master had given the brunette upon realising he'd slept through the whole thing undisturbed was nothing short of spectacular.

Said brunette rolled his eyes before looking at the baby thoughtfully. "What about Annabeth? I saw that name in a book once."

"You read a book once?"

"Shut up, Ven," Terra drawled, his voice hilariously calm.

" _I_  like it," Aqua chimed and she handed the raven haired babe back to Ven. She was getting fussy again and nothing Aqua was doing seemed to calm her. Yet another reason she found it best she stayed near Ventus.

"Me too," Ventus added as he began to rock on his heels. "It's a lot better than Muffin."

"I'll have you know I'm still calling her that," Terra said, a chuckle in his voice. His mood about the situation had greatly improved from what it had been when he opened the door to find a wailing basket with flailing limbs coming out of it. He still couldn't believe someone would do such a thing. None of them could, but that didn't change the fact that someone  _had_ , and they were going to have to make some serious adjustments to, well, adjust.

In all honesty, when it came time to go to bed Ventus was terrified. He'd said Terra was the most likely to roll on top of little Annabeth, but what if  _he_ did it? He was a light sleeper, he knew this, but what if he slept harder than normal that night? What if she started crying and he didn't hear her? What if-

"You're making a face," Aqua said then, snapping him out of his thoughts of doom. "Calm down. You've handled her well all day and if you need help in the middle of the night my room is right down the hall."

Ventus sighed. "I know."

"Oh, and if she wakes up hungry, Remember to follow the instructions on the can exactly. Too much can make her sick," Aqua informed him. Much to his surprise she looked a little nervous herself, which did absolutely nothing to settle  _his_  nerves.

"I'll be fine. Like you said, you'll be just down the hall if I need you. And Terra's even closer, though I don't think he'd be of much help," Ventus told her. Annabeth had long ago fallen asleep on his shoulder and he wanted to get in the bed before she woke up.

"I heard that," Terra called from his room, his voice muffled by the blanket over his head. How he slept like that without feeling like he was about to suffocate, Ven would never know.

With a bit of reluctance Ventus entered his room, leaving his door cracked so that someone could hear him if he called, and layed the sleeping baby on his bed, covering her with a thin blanket as she sprawled out comfortably. He took a calming breath before crawling in himself, leaving his lamp on so he could see and making sure to leave enough room between him and Annabeth. He was still terrified of squishing her. He honestly didn't think co-sleeping would be so stressful. They'd have to get a crib soon, or else he was sure he'd go mad with worry.

He had managed to drift off for all of two hours before he was awoken by the sound of quiet pouting. Annabeth had started to stir and twist, before, with much effort, rolling onto her stomach. Ventus drowsily started to gently rub her back and her green eyes reluctantly fluttered closed once more, the occasional pout leaving her lips.

"You're probably getting hungry again, huh?" Ventus whispered as he made to get out of the bed. He positioned a blanket and his pillow between Annabeth and the bed's edge so not to risk her managing to roll onto the floor while he fixed her a bottle.

His bare feet padded quietly against the cold floor as he quickly made his way to the kitchen and set upon preparing a bottle. It took him a bit longer than he would've liked to get the temperature right. The chill in the air had him a little more than half awake by the time he finally made it back to his room, Annabeth whimpering softly as he picked her up before giving her the bottle.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that she was once again kicking her legs as she feasted on the formulated milk, the occasional grunt escaping her tiny form. He couldn't help but wonder if all babies behaved in such a manner as they ate.

The sound of footsteps caused Ven to look up and find Aqua, clad in a loose shirt and sleep shorts, entering his room and plopping herself on the foot of the bed. She smiled at him sleepily.

"And here I was worried," She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She pulled an extra blanket from the small cabnet beside the bed and promptly curled up in it.

"I'm not sure if I should read that as you thinking of me as incapable or you mothering me," Ventus replied as he removed the bottle from Annabeth's lips. She'd fallen back asleep halfway through the bottle and was now quietly snoring in his arms.

Aqua chuckled before taking the bottle from him and getting up, his spare blanket still wrapped around her like a cloak. "I'll take this back to the kitchen for you. My room's cold, unlike yours. I'll give this back in the morning."

"Night, Aqua."

"Goodnight, Ven."

 


	2. Show Me the Muffin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know how everyone flocks to your house when you have a baby? That rule still applies.

_II_

Ventus frowned as Lea gently poked Annabeth's cheek. He'd just gotten her calm before he'd arrived and the last thing he wanted was for her to get all fussy again.

"So this is all it took for you to get all domesticated on me," Lea teased, a smirk on his lips. Ventus rolled his eyes.

"Not like I had much of a choice," Ventus said as he leaned against the coffee table, stretching his legs so that his feet rested against the base of the couch.

Technically he  _did_  have a choice. He could've easily handed the babe over to someone else to care for, but that had seemed… Wrong. Maybe it was that her arrival to their home was similar to his own, or his almost instant attachment towards the tiny person, or how much she was attached to  _him_. He'd probably never know what caused him to claim her as his own and strangely enough, that didn't bother him one bit.

It was Lea's turn to roll his eyes. Ventus's nonchalant attitude wasn't fooling him for even a fraction of a second. The guy was simply too kind for his own good sometimes.

"How come you're the one stuck with her instead of Aqua? She seems to be the most qualified for this kind of thing." Ventus's eyebrows shot up to his hairline at that. "And before you jump me, I think I should say that I don't mean because she's a girl. I just mean that she seems more…" He really didn't want to use that word, but there really wasn't a better descriptive. "Motherly?"

Ventus laughed then. "I know what you mean. She's always been like that, ever since we were kids." He allowed his head to tilt back and rest on the cool surface of the table, his eyes lolling closed for a moment.

"You still didn't answer my question."

"Yeah, I know." He sat back up. "Messing with her makes Terra anxious, which in turn makes  _her_  anxious, and the next thing ya know he's panicking with a screaming baby in his arms." A smirk graced his lips. It had been a very interesting scene to walk in on, especially when he noticed Terra looked to be seconds away from crying himself. The look of relief on the brunette's face when he'd spotted Ven was hilarious. "As for Aqua, she's busy most of the time and Annabeth likes me way better anyways."

Lea nodded, smiling at the drowsy baby. Someone, Ventus he assumed, had propped her up on the couch with the aid of some tacky throw pillows. She seemed to be examining him with her shiny green eyes. He noticed something on her left cheek right under her eye and promptly tried to wipe it off with his thumb, frowning when it remained stubbornly in place.

"It's a mole or a freckle or something," Ventus spoke up. "I tried to wipe it off a million times yesterday. Everyone did, actually."

Annabeth sneezed and they both started, looking far more startled than they should've been. Years of combat training had them accustomed to readying themselves at the slightest sound, the instinct more often than not being the only thing that kept them alive, but in normal circumstances the habit made them look utterly ridiculous,  _especially_  when it was the result of a baby sneezing of all things. Both men noticed how spooked the other looked and fell into a fit of laughter just as Sora walked in with stars in his eyes.

An unidentifiable noise left Sora's throat as has he spotted the baby, practically running Ventus over to get to her. "Kairi was telling the truth. You really  _do_ have a baby. She's so  _cute_!"

Ventus tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Why are you here and how did Kairi know about this?"

Sora temporarily paused his cooing and gushing to face Ventus and Lea, sitting himself on the couch next the baby. "She and Aqua talk all the time, as for me being here…" He looked at Annabeth and grinned. "I didn't fully believe her and wanted to see for myself. Where'd she come from, anyways?"

"A stork brought her. Didn't your parents ever teach you that?" Lea asked, his face a mask of seriousness.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Axel," Sora drawled and Lea sighed. He'd long ago given up on the kid calling him by his real name, but that didn't make it any less exasperating. "Seriously, though, where did she come from?"

"Someone dumped her on the doorstep and Terra found her when he went out to train." The brunette had been _furious_  when he and Aqua had found him, screaming basket in tow as he waltzed into the kitchen. "Whoever did it couldn't have been bothered to even leave us a note or knock before bailing." Ventus would be lying if he said the matter in which they had obtained the tiny addition hadn't pissed him off as well.

"So her name's Annabelle?"

"Anna _beth_ ," Ventus corrected him. He had a feeling he was going to have to make this correction more than he'd like in the coming days. He'd had to correct the pediatrician Aqua had hunted down dragged there earlier that day several times during his visit, the nurse accompanying his smiling apologetically each and every time. Said nurse had also informed them that while obtaining a crib was fine, co-sleeping was actually safer and psychologically better for Annabeth for a multitude of reasons, and seeing as how he was already growing used to it anyways, Ventus decided to scrap the crib idea altogether, which was also good seeing as how the trio wasn't exactly swimming in cash nor did his room really have enough room for the extra bedding.

Lea would probably hell hack him if he found out he was sharing his bed with the baby, making comments on the lines of,  _"Well there goes your love life, not that you had one anyways."_  Which was exactly why he had avoided mentioning said fact, not that it was his business anyways.

Lea blinked slowly and he shifted uncomfortably from where he sat next to Ven. "Dude, why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something?"

"Huh? Oh! S-sorry," Ventus muttered, his cheeks heating up. He hadn't realized he'd been glaring at the poor guy, and for something he'd only _imagined_ him saying at that.  _Oops_.

Sora had returned to cooing at the baby, who'd yawned sleepily in return, looking the very image of disinterested. He puffed his cheeks out at her then. "Not much amuses her, huh?"

"Most babies don't care for much at that age. Don't take it personally, Sora," Ventus chuckled.

"She smiles at  _you_ ," Lea drawled, crossing his arms over his knees and resting his head on them. He'd been up since four that morning trying to help Leon catch a Heartless that had been tormenting the marketplace and alluding elimination for several days. He desperately wished to take nap.

"What? Really?!" Sora questioned, sounding very much like he  _was_  taking it personally. Babies normally  _loved_ him, so why not this one? "Why only Ven?"

"Because that sweet muffin only has eyes for one man in her life," Terra laughed from the kitchen doorway, ducking out of sight as Ventus slung a heavily beaded throw pillow at him. Ventus winced as it soared straight into the kitchen sink, which so happened to be full of water at the time.

"Crap," He hissed as he darted out of the den to retrieve the pillow, Terra chuckling from the table as he took a bite out his sandwich. Ventus glared at him. "Watch Annabeth while I go dry this before Aqua finds out."

"What? No! She doesn't like me-"

"Two things," Ven said, cutting him off. "Sora and Lea know less about babies than you do and you're not allowed to touch the dryer after what happened last time. I'll be back in, like, five minutes. You'll be fine."


	3. Panic at the Muffin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter in which Terra proves like babies doesn't make you good at handling them. Poor guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm more or less binge uploading these from fanfiction, so expect a slow down in uploads soon because we're almost caught up

_III_

Terra most definitely was  _not_ fine. Well, he was for the first fifteen minutes Ventus was gone, but then Annabeth started to cry and his brother's friends wasted no time bailing on him. Cowards.

"You can do this," Terra repeated over and over again as if he was turning the phrase into a personal mantra. "She probably just needs to be changed." His hands hovered hesitantly over the baby, beads of sweat breaking out all over his body. He willed himself to pick up the squirming infant and checked her. "No, you're still clean. Are you hungry? Wait. No. Ven just fed you a little while ago."

Terra stared at the irritable infant as he held her in front of him, trying his utter best not to look as freaked out as he felt Everyone kept telling him that was why she reacted so badly towards him and that he should relax, but he couldn't help it. Tiny, fragile babies made him nervous.

Next he tried walking her as he'd seen Ventus and Aqua do, bouncing lightly with every step, holding his hand behind her head as to not risk jaring her. No dice. She was still pissed. Or upset. He honestly couldn't tell.

"It doesn't take this long to put a pillow in the dryer," Terra whined desperately as he hurriedly left the den, baby in tow. He needed to find Ven.

He audiably exhaled in relief as he spotted the blond in the hall. Sora was with him, smiling nervously in Terra's direction, but avoiding to eye contact with the larger brunette.

"Not cool, Sky Child," Terra said as he marched over and handed Annabeth to Ventus, muttering a "go to daddy" as he did. He immediately set upon calming the tiny person.

"I was getting Ven," Sora half heartedly argued, still avoiding eye contact. "Or Aqua, or whoever ever I found first, which was Ven, by the way.'

"You ramble when you're nervous."

Sora started pressing his fingertips together, forming a pyramid of sorts. "Yeah, I know. Please don't kill me…"

"Where was Lea going?" Ventus asked then as Annabeth's crying mellowed down to occasional whimper. "I saw him run out the door on my way back."

"Anywhere but here. He and Sora darted the second Muffin got pissed," Terra replied agitatedly.

"I was getting Ven," Sora mumbled once more, shrinking back a little. Heartless he could handle, Nobodies, too. Keyblade wielding giants, not so much. Not that he  _couldn't_ take Terra on in fight, he just didn't  _want_  to, because to be completely honest the guy hit  _hard_ , not to mention left bruises the size of Disney Town.

Ventus shrugged then and started making his way back to the den, lying Annabeth on the couch and draping a thin blanket over her as her eyes reluctantly drifted closed. It was around her nap time, so he figured that was what had her so irritable with Terra. He probably should've mentioned that before he'd left, but he hadn't expected to be intercepted by Aqua, who'd asked him to do a few things before he headed back.

"What took you so long, anyways? You were gone for almost thirty minutes," Terra stated matter of factly as he started at the now sleeping baby. She was cute when she wasn't crying and making him panic.

"I had to do some things for Aqua."

"Like what?"

"Like none of your business," Ventus replied, sticking his tongue out childishly. Terra respond by sticking his tongue out as well. "So," he started as he sat near Annabeth's feet, turning his attention back towards Sora."You learn anything new since the last time I saw you? I heard from a few birdies you've been dabbling with Strike Raid as of late."

It took the young brunette a moment to realise Ven was talking to him. "Huh? Oh, y-yeah, but I can't seem to get it to do right." He started to chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "It's  _supposed_  to come back like a boomerang, right?"

Terra smirked. "Let me guess, it goes, but refuses to come back. That's why Aqua and I quit trying to figure it out. Ven's the only who's fully mastered it."

"I don't really see where it was all that hard," Ventus replied, letting his head rest on the back of the couch.

"That's because your main element is  _wind_. You had an advantage from the start." Terra blinked in confusion then. "Wait, but isn't that your dominan too, Sora? In that case, you really shouldn't be having this much trouble with it."

Sora sighed, letting his forehead rest on his knees. "Yeah, I know. That's why it's bugging me so much." It almost seemed as if an invisible raincloud had formed over the young wielder. He normally picked up on new techniques pretty quickly, so that fact that this specific technique had alluded him was abnormally infuriating. He was starting feel as if he was losing his touch. Sora jerked upright, letting out a strained cry as Terra over enthusiastically slapped him on the back.

"Come on, cheer up. Like I said, it's a difficult technique that I've only ever seen Ven master," Terra told him, a faint smile gracing his lips. "But I'm sure you'll get it eventually."

"I can help you with it a little later if you want," Ventus offered. He too was smiling. He'd been helping Sora since before he'd even obtained a keyblade, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. He sometimes wondered if  _his_ master had felt the same joy, the same  _pride_  when he watched them learn new things. Ventus couldn't help taking a trip down memory lane, not noticing someone was trying to tell him something until there was a pair of finger snapping in front of his face. "Uh… hi?"

"Are you daydreaming again or are you sleeping with your eyes open?"

"A little of both?"

"Hey, Aqua," Sora chimed, his eyes lighting up. He absolutely  _adored_  the older woman.

"Hey, kiddo," she replied before turning back towards Ventus. "I need you to do something else for me."

"Sure. Whatcha need?" Ventus asked blinking slowly. She normally wasn't this bad at assigning him chores out of the blue. Something was most definitely up.

Aqua produced a list and handed it to him. He eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw how much crap was on it. "I need you to guys to do some shopping. Yes, Terra, that includes you," she threw in when she noticed the look Terra was giving her. "I'd appreciate it if you helped too, Sora."

Ventus scanned over some of items on the list, a knot forming on his brow. "Are we having a party or something?" What else would they need that much food and disposable kitchenware for?

"Not exactly  _we_. I'll tell you more about it when you get back. Now go. I'll watch Annabeth," Aqua told him as he practically shoved them out the door, a tinge of urgency in her voice.

The three men stood on the stairs for a moment and shared a look.

"Dude, she locked the door."


	4. Shopping Shuffle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Embarrassing shopping items, buggy rides, and WAY too many condiments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love each and every one of y'all reading this. I know this isn't a popular plot, but I'm glad someone is enjoying it

_IV_

Ventus, Terra and Sora decided to split the list into three parts due to the sheer number and variety of items on it. Sora was in charge of edibles, Terra was getting all the decorations and Ventus was getting everything else that that fell into the miscellaneous category, along with a certain item that both Terra and Sora vehemently refused to go near.

Ventus frowned at the item in front of him. Aqua had underlined it on the list three times, so it was obvious she needed it, but he just couldn't see why she couldn't have waited or gotten it herself. A knot began to form on his brow. There were a million types, how was he supposed to know which one?

The scent of french perfume wafted into the area, followed by the sound of an angelic voice. "Can I help you?"

"Uh.. yeah.. You see, my sister asked me to get her some of these, but I honestly don't know anything about this type of thing," Ventus responded, his cheeks turning a deep scarlet. The thing in question was, of course, a box of tampons, A.K.A., every man's worst nightmare.

The young woman laughed musically, her topaz eyes shining as she swooped a stray hair behind her ear. She promptly grabbed a box and handed it to Ventus. "It's not nearly as complicated as I'm sure it looks. These'll probably do fine."

Ventus's blush deepened further as he accepted the box and thanked her, quickly taking off to retrieve the rest of the items Aqua required. He paused near the end of isle, glancing at an item someone had discarded on the shelf instead of returning it to is designated location. It was a pair of shoes that looked like they just might fit Annabeth. He picked them up.

"Also for your sister?" The woman asked. Ventus hadn't realised she was still there.

"Huh? Oh, no. They're for my daughter." Those words still sounded weird coming out of his mouth, but he was gradually getting used to it.

"Oh, you have a daughter?" She asked, her head tilted curiously. "How old is she?"

He thought back on what the pediatrician had said. "Three and a half months. At least, that's what we think?"

Now she really  _was_ looking at him curiously. "What you think?"

"Ah, well, the circumstances in which we got her are a bit…  _unusual_ , so we don't know  _exactly_  how old she is. The doctor we had examine her had to make an educated guess," Ventus explained, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, a shopping basket clutched loosely in the other.

The woman looked conflicted about asking her next question. "So, she was abandoned?" Ventus nodded and she smiled solemnly. "That's a shame, but how lucky she was to have found someone as wonderful and caring as you."

"Yeah."

"Ven, are you almost done?" Terra called as he spotted him and dashed forward with a buggy full of streamers, tablecloths, plates, cups and about a million other things, some of which Ventus was positive were  _not_ on the list. "No way! You've only gotten two things? Wait, are those shoes for Muffin?"

"You're seriously not giving that nickname up, are you?" Ventus drawled. "And yes they are. Think they'll fit?"

"They look a little big."

"They're supposed to be, otherwise she'll only we able to wear them once."

The woman chuckled at them. "My name's Edgar, by the way. I work in the bakery Wednesday through Sunday if you ever want to stop by and talk," She told Ventus, smiling. She was gone before he could make a proper reply.

Terra blinked slowly as he stared at his brother. "I think she was hitting on you."

"What?! No!" Ventus sputtered, blushing once more, but once he actually thought about it, he wasn't so sure. Had she?

A smug grin spread across Terra's normally stoic face. "Oh, she  _likes_  you."

"I literally just met her!"

"And she likes you."

" _Terra_!" Ventus looked down at his near empty shopping basket and groaned. "I don't have time for this. I still have things I need to get."

"I've already gotten everything on my part of the list-"

"And quite a few things for yourself," Ventus deadpanned.

"Shut up, Ven. As I was saying, I'm pretty much done, so I'll help you out."

"It's fine. I won't take long. Go ahead and check out," Ventus told him. Terra shrugged before running off, jumping onto the buggy and riding it once he gained enough speed. Ventus chuckled. "Manchild"

* * *

"Anyhoo, the roof needs repairing, so the king needs somewhere else to throw her majesty's surprise party," Aqua finished explaining as she plopped Annabeth in the bouncer she'd dragged into the kitchen so that they could keep an eye on her as they put everything up. She glared at the can of silly string she pulled out of one of the bags. "Terra, why did you buy this."

"Personal reasons," the tall brunette replied defensively as he made to take it from her. The blue haired master went out of her way to play keep away with it.

"Oh,  _hell_  no," she retorted as she held it behind her back. This party is semi formal. You are  _not_ spraying anyone with this."

"I don't plan on using it at the party," Terra half whined, trying once more to retrieve his precious can of doom.

"No, you plan on using it on  _me_ ," Ventus cut in, looking the very image of calm, the only visual indicator of his annoyance being the slight twitch of his eye.

A nervous chuckle escaped Terra then. "Whatever gave you  _that_  idea? I never said-"

"You're not stupid enough to use that on Aqua and Annabeth is too young, so that leaves me. I'm not an idiot, Terra," Ventus drawled as he went to stand next to Aqua. He tapped his wrist against hers and she discreetly passed him the can. He slipped it into his back pocket once he was sure Terra wasn't paying attention. He'd hide it in his room later and possibly use it against the older man the next time he pissed him off.

"So," Terra started, changing the subject. "When you say semi formal, do you mean suits or…?"

"Simple dress clothes with do just fine," Aqua told them. Half of Ventus's wardrobe was filled with clothes of that nature, so she wasn't worried about him. Terra on the other hand… She tilted her head to the side, resting her cheek on her palm. "Do you even own any dress clothes?" Terra opened his mouth and she was quick to cut him off. "That  _don't_  look like they're from feudal Japan?"

Terra's mouth continued to open and close like a fish for a good minute before he pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head. "I have a black sweater."

Aqua groaned. "The one with holes in it?"

"No, the other one. You know, the one Riku gave me last Christmas."

"That'll have to work," Aqua told him, turning her attention back to the mountain of bags piled on the table and the floor surrounding it. She wished Sora had stayed to help them put it all away, but he said he had to help his dad with something and that he was probably in trouble for bailing without telling anyone. She promptly shooed him off, telling him to go home as she did.

Annabeth cooed and Ventus glanced at her. "Does the dress code apply to babies?"

"Already got that covered," Aqua declared triumphantly as she pulled a frilled dressed seemingly out of thin air.

"Where did you pull that from?" Ventus muttered, his comment ignored.

"Isn't it cute?" Aqua half squealed as she practically shoved it in his face. She frowned, then. "I couldn't find any shoes to match, though."

"When did you buy  _that_?" Terra asked, visibly confused.

"Yesterday, though I didn't know about the party yet. It was more or less bought on impulse," she explained as she placed it on a free spot on the table. After a few minutes of rummaging through bags she discovered the shoes, glancing at Ventus as a chuckle escaped her. "Speaking of impulse shopping."

 _"_ Don't you dare call this kettle black, Miss Pot," Ventus told her, his eyebrows shooting to his hairline warningly as he did.

"I'm not, I'm not," she laughed, tucking the shoes next to the dress. "Would you look at that. They match."

"Do you want me to put the decorations in the closet?" Terra asked as he collected all the decor bags. "It wouldn't make sense to go ahead and put them up until the day of the party, I wouldn't think."

"That's fine," Aqua called as she stared blankly at a group of bags containing nothing but ranch, each bottle a different flavor. She faintly recalled Sora mumbling about not knowing which kind to get and sighed. She'd have to fix a salad bowl for the party to keep it all from going to waste. She loved the kid, but by the stars was he a bad decision maker sometimes.

An audible groan escaped her as she discovered a bag filled to the brim with chip dip, each jar a different flavor, same as the ranch. This sure as hell explained why there were more bags than there should've been, It appeared as if the kid had used  _get one of everything_  as the solution to every item he wasn't sure about, which was almost everything. This going to take ages to sort out and put away.


	5. Hold Me and Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Babies don't care about schedules. Like, at ALL. You go by their time, not yours.

_V_

The castle was quiet, at least it  _was_  until the clock struck one, the chiming half drowned out by a piercing wail that echoed throughout the front hall. Ven had been pacing around humming, singing and rocking her for what felt like ages, dead on his feet. He'd moved away from the wing that held their rooms after he'd realized Annabeth wasn't going to calm down anytime soon to avoid waking Terra and Aqua.

Normally, he knew exactly what was wrong with her when she got fussy, but this time was different. He wasn't entirely sure Annabeth knew what was wrong herself, just that she wasn't happy.

Ventus continued to sing quietly to try and usher the disconsolate infant back to sleep. He paused his pacing and held her out in front of him, her crying mellowing down for a few seconds as she examined his face in the dimly lit hall only resume full force once she realised he didn't have the answer to why so was currently so miserable.

"What has gotten into you tonight?" He whispered, holding her close once more. "You're usually so docile at night."

Ventus glanced at the grandfather clock at the far end of the hall and grimaced. The hour hand was itching uncomfortably close to the two. He'd been at it for almost an hour now and he had to help prep for the party come morning. Maybe Aqua would overlook him slinking away for a nap halfway through. That would be nice.

Lost in his thoughts he almost didn't notice Annabeth start to settle down and snuggle against his shoulder. She was still crying a bit, though, so kept up his musical pacing until she fell completely silent, her eyelids twitching as she dreamed what he hoped were happy dreams.

"Now that that's said and done," Ventus murmured as he turned on his heel and headed towards the stairs. "Let's get back in bed."

* * *

"You okay, bud?" Terra asked as he poked Ventus's cheek with his fork. "You look like you're still sleeping."

Ventus lowered his head, resting it on the table beside his plate. "I wish I was."

"Annie was fussy, I take it?" Aqua asked as she set a glass of juice down on the other side of his head. He peered at Terra's blurred form through the glass, the brunette grinning and throwing up a peace sign.

"Mhmm."

"What time did you get to sleep? You look like you're running on fumes," Aqua stated before instructing him to eat his food before it got cold.

"Which time? I had to get up with her a million times last night," He replied into the table, a groan escaping him. He had, in fact, gotten up with the unusually irritable baby a good five times before she finally decided to settle down for the remainder of the night, or morning rather.

Aqua hummed thoughtfully as she glanced down at Annabeth from where she snoozed in her basket. Terra had wanted to toss it, but both she and Ventus argued that it could act as a bassinet until they could find something more suitable. The only other thing they had in terms of baby furniture was a bouncer she'd picked up a few days after Annabeth had unexpectedly arrived, an item she didn't exactly dig. She seemed to prefer being held or propped up on pillows.

"I'll let you take a quick cat nap after we finish setting up. We can't have guests arriving before we're done. Not only will it look bad, but they'll get in the way, making it take that much longer," Aqua informed him, stroking his hair. "You could've asked one of us," she paused, glancing at Terra blankly. That would've been a bad idea. Terra had been getting better at the baby thing, but he was nowhere near being able to go solo. "You could've asked  _me_  to get up with her a few times. I wouldn't have minded."

Deep blue eyes that reminded her of the sky on a starry night peered up at her before vanishing once more. "You have more you have to do today than me. You have to cook all that food."

"And Mickey's sending people to help with that. He doesn't expect us to do  _everything_ ," Aqua argued, biting into a piece of bacon. The king himself was even planning on dropping by and helping them set up until they convinced him he should spend the morning with his queen instead, Terra throwing in an inappropriate wink that caused Ventus to elbow him in the ribs while Aqua verbally scolded him.

"I wonder who's all coming. If the amount of food is anything to go by, then it's gonna be a full house," Terra commented, leaning back in his chair. He nudged Ventus's leg playfully with his foot, earning a muffled grunt from the blond. "All of which are from different worlds. Isn't that against the rules?"

"Not if they leave by their own means.  _We're_  just not allowed to chauffeur people between worlds," Aqua explained, Terra nodded in understanding. That made much more sense seeing as how he'd come across quite a few people outside of their homeworlds over the years. He hadn't really questioned the fact until just now.

Ventus propped his head on his fist, dragging a pancake off of his plate and stuffing it in his mouth, too tired to bother cutting it up or applying syrup. The older two of the trio stared at him, eyebrows shooting to their hairlines.

"Damn, dude. You normally put enough syrup on your pancakes to kill a bear," Terra announced, wincing as Ventus's foot slammed into his shin. "Ow! Foul play,  _foul play_! No sleep makes you pissy."

"Oh, I'll  _show_  you pissy-"

"Would you two cut it out," Aqua fussed, chuckling. They never fought over sensible things, which made it hard not to laugh. "Ventus, you finish eating, Terra, go ahead and start putting streamers up and unlock the front doors so people can come in. Mickey's help should be here soon. Send them to the big kitchen, not this one. I'm gonna go ahead and put the finishing touches on the cake."

"Right oh," Terra replied before opening the cupboard he stuffed the streamers in. They fell out on him and he wandered out like that, looking like some sort of rainbow monster. He rounded the corner and there was a crash followed by mild swearing and a muffled "I'm okay."

Ventus smirked. "And I think he just tripped over the coffee table."

"Without a doubt," Aqua deadpanned, sighing as she walked out. "Terra, please get those off your face and watch where you're going. I don't know how to fix broken bones or tables."

Ventus ate a few more things off his plate before downing his juice, a sleepy sigh escaping him as grabbed Annabeth's basket and hoisted it up. He smiled down at the sleepy babe. "You are  _so_  lucky I love you. Now come on. We got a party to start."


	6. Party like a Zombie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parties are fun, even when you're sleepy and your sister won't stop stressing over cupcakes while your brother dances lile a seizing giraffe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I would've liked to upload because this hellsite refused to cooperate with my formatting for some reason.  
> Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this chapter~!

_VI_

Aqua glanced around in search of Ventus as she lightly bounced Annabeth to keep her content. The last she'd seen him was just after Mickey and Minnie arrived and she wasn't entirely convinced he hadn't wandered off and fallen asleep somewhere. He really was a hopeless sleepyhead sometimes. She waved Terra over, trying her best to be discrete.

"Hold her for a few minutes. Ven's gone missing. I need to make sure he's not passed out under a table or something," Aqua informed him as she handed Annabeth over. She was relatively cheery today, so she wasn't worried about her bursting into tears the moment she walked off.

Terra grinned at the infant as he held her out in front of him. " _Hey-yoh_ , Muffin. Wanna dance with me?"

"At least she's too young to be embarrassed by that horrible mumbo jumbo you call dancing," Aqua teased as she pranced off, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She heard Terra make a cheeky comeback, but was too far off to hear what it was. She paused when she reached the den. It was closed off to party guests, but it was the closest room with plush furniture, so she figured it was a good place to start. She blinked slowly at the confused woman in the middle of the room.

"Can I help you?"

The woman turned towards her, chuckling nervously as she scratched her cheek. "I'm so sorry. I was looking for my son and got lost. I've never been in a house this big before."

"It's fine. Who's your son, by the way? I might know where he is," Aqua suggested, smiling politely. Ventus was going to have to wait. She couldn't have party guests wondering about and getting lost.

"Sora."

"Sora?" Aqua repeated, blinking rapidly. A small laugh escaped her. Leave it to him to bring his mom to another world and lose her.

"I can see from your expression that you know him," Sora's mother smiled, looking far less embarrassed than she had when Aqua walked in on her.

"Sure do. I'm Aqua. It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs…"

"You can call me Ame," She corrected with a smile.

"So you lost Sora?" Aqua asked as and idea hit her. "I wonder if he's with Ven. I haven't seen him in a while either. Come with me. We can look for them together."

Aqua and Ame cut through the main hall, the younger pausing just long enough to notice and laugh at Terra performing a one sided dance with Annabeth. The guy seriously had too left feet.

"Let's see… Ven likes to hang out in the library, but if he's with Sora then they're probably in the courtyard," she muttered.  _And beating the hell out of each other with blunt objects, no doubt._

Ten minutes of searching later, half of which consisted of the two women fleeing from a  _very_  pissed off squirrel, she finally spotted Sora's spiky hair sticking up from behind a bush and quickly rounded it to face the young wielder. "It's not nice to bring someone to a party and ditch them."

Sora made a face. "Oh, crap. My mom's probably pis…" He trailed off, as he noticed Ame staring at him from behind Aqua, her hands on her hips. "Uh, hey, mom! I didn't mean to ditch you. I saw Ven and we started talking and we  _kinda_  got distracted."

"I can see that."

Aqua nudged said blond with her foot and he glanced up at her groggily. "Not gonna lie, I half expected to find you sleeping under a table or something."

"Where's Annabeth?"

"Dancing with Terra."

"He's gonna scar her for life," Ventus joked. Somewhere between point A and point B he'd unbuttoned his vest and the first two buttons of his shirt and rolled his sleeves up. The tie Aqua had forced him to wear was nowhere to be seen. Sora''s clothes were in a similar state, except his tie was simply loosened opposed to being discarded completely.

"So you're the friend Sora's told me so much about?" Ame asked Ventus as she sat on the grass next to Sora. "You're younger than I thought. He had me under the impression you were far older."

"I'm older than I look. I'm actually thirty," Ventus replied, tapping the toes of his shoes against Aqua's as she sat across from him, smoothing out her dress as she adjusted herself. Ame looked startled and made to apologise, but he stopped her. "It's okay. Most people make that mistake."

"So you're the one with the baby? I heard Sora and Kairi talking about it the other day," Ame hesitantly asked.

"Uh, y-yeah. Her name's Annabeth," Ventus told her, caught a little off guard.

"You mentioned her a moment ago, didn't you? You said she was with someone?" Ame asked, the name of said person slipping her mind.

"She's with Terra. He's our brother,' Aqua informed her with a smile. "He's not really good with babies, but I figured he'd be fine with her for a few minutes."

"It's strange, Sora having so many older friends," Ame started thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her index finger. "He's barely nineteen and it seems like all of his friends are getting married or having babies."

" _Mom_ ," Sora started, only to be cut off by her laughing.

"I don't mean anything bad by it, Sweetie," Ame chuckled. "Just that it feels weird to me. Come on. Let go get some snacks."

Sora promptly stood up. "I'll show you the way. Can't have you getting lost again."

"It was  _your_  fault. Who abandons their mother at a party, especially one on a world she's never been to before?"

"I said I was sorry."

"Come on, Ven," Aqua said as she stood up as well, tugging the white mage up with her. "I'm sure everyone's noticed we've vanished by now."

"Don't wanna miss the queen opening up her presents either. I heard Mickey got her something good," Ventus commented as he dusted his butt off.

"Where'd your tie go, anyways?" Aqua asked him as they made their way up the stairs.

A blank look flashed across Ventus's face as he checked his pockets. "I have no idea."

"Good job."

"Oh,  _hush_! I didn't wanna wear it anyways," He mumbled as he buttoned his vest back up.

"I know, which is exactly  _why_  I'm considering charging you with sabotage," Aqua drawled jokingly. She burst into laughter upon seeing the blond's reaction.

"H-Hey! It's not like I lost it on purpose," He argued, a knot forming on his brow.

"All criminals say that."

"So I'm a criminal now?!"

More laughter erupted from the nimble mage. "Where'd sleepy Ven go? You seem so awake now."

"He's hiding under the bed because apparently losing uncomfortable formal accessories counts as a felony now," he shot back, a smirk gracing his face.

"Only when they're lost the day after they were bought. I mean seriously, Ven. How did you manage to lose something tied around your neck?" She questioned as she nodded politely at a guest in passing.

"It wasn't tied around my neck when I lost it," Ventus defended. He changed direction suddenly, making a beeline towards a table presenting a multitude of finger foods.

Aqua spun on heel to follow after him, her dress skirts spinning and floating as if in a dance of their own. "That much is obvious."

The argument over the tie was temporarily dismissed as they both started popping various this and that in their mouths as they wandered around for a bit, making occasional small talk with guests as they searched for Terra. They found him squatting in front of the guest of honor herself as she talked to Annabeth in a light voice that seemed to please her. They cooed at each other for a good minute before the due decied to interupt.

"Are you enjoying the party?" Aqua asked as Ventus simultaneously told her  _happy birthday_.

"Very much so. I just hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience for you all," she replied as she ticked Annabeth's cheek with a gloved finger.

"Not at all," Terra told her without a second's hesitation

"It was our pleasure," Aqua added happily. It really was. She'd gone out of her way on countless occasions to help them over the years. A party was the least they could do in return.

It was in that moment that Annabeth noticed Ventus, whom she'd been missing since he'd left her in her aunt and uncle's care almost an hour prior. She started to cry for him, only settling down once she was securely in his arms.

A chuckled escaped the tiny queen. " _Awe_. How cute. Ven's her favorite, I take it?"

"Mhmm," Ventus hummed as he bounced the delighted infant.

"She looks at me like I'm chopped liver," Terra joked before wandering off to find food, something low carb, no doubt.

"I'm shocked she didn't cry," Ventus commented off handedly.

"He's getting better at it," Aqua responded before they told Minnie they'd swing back around in a bit, after they hit up some more of the food tables, none of which were experiencing any shortage or lack variety in condiments thanks to Sora. "I want something sweet this time. How about you, Ven?"

He shifted Annabeth as he hummed in thought. "Is there any ice cream?"

"Uh, no. I couldn't remember that spell, you know, the one that keeps things cold, so I decided against it. Nothing says fun like a bunch of melted ice cream dripping everywhere," she told him as she tugged him over to the dessert table by a belt loop. "I put a bit too much dye in the cupcakes with the pink frosting, so I'd avoid those I were you. They're a bit too bitter for my liking."

"Noted." Ventus scanned the table before settling on a green frosted cupcake. He swiped a dab of frosting with his fingered and offered it to Annabeth, who really seemed to enjoy it. She smacked her lips for more and he chuckled. "Just a bit more. We don't want your stomach to hurt," he told her as he gave her another swipe of frosting before taking a bite himself. "These are really good, Aqua."

"Glad you think so," she replied around a cupcake of her own. She couldn't help but think that there was room for improvement, though. She was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to these kinds of things.

The party continued on for another five hours before things started to die down and guests started heading home. Minnie, Mickey and a few others stuck around after the castle had cleared out to help tidy up despite Terra, Aqua and Ventus objections.

Ventus yawned, pausing his sweeping to watch the weird trash can game Sora and Riku had made up in the midst of them cleaning the main hall. It was very similar to basketball in that you got points on throwing trash successfully in the cans, but the amount seemed to be based on how complicated the shot was. Riku was winning because Sora kept going for trick shots he was nowhere near capable of pulling off.

Aqua, Kairi and Sora's mom where cleaning the kitchen and putting away all the leftover food, packing some away in bag at Aqua's suggestion that they take some home for themselves. Ame maad a joking comment that her husband was going to look at like she was mad woman for bringing home that much cake.

"Just be sure to keep it away from Sora. He's hyper enough as it is," Kairi laughed, the other women quick to join in.

It had been far too long since they had a day focused primarily on fun. Aqua made a note to herself to throw a get together every now and then for the sheer heck of it. They spent so much time saving the universe that they deserved to wind down and relax now that things had calmed down. There was no telling when the next time hell would break loose, so they really did need to enjoy the peace while they had it, regardless of whether it was for the next twenty years or the next five minutes.


End file.
